Acadia University’s student union president says Dalhousie University’s deal to offer another teacher education program in Nova Scotia is an “unwelcome surprise.”
“This is not going to do anything but hurt us,” said Kyle Steele, Acadia Students’ Union president. Steele said Dal’s move will make it more difficult for students to find jobs and on-the-job training placements in an already overcrowded labour market.
A review report on teacher education in the province found Nova Scotia universities are churning out a worrisome oversupply of teachers for the labour market, causing hundreds to leave the province or abandon the profession altogether.
Yesterday Education Minister Karen Casey said she had hoped Dalhousie would respect the review committee’s recommendations. Casey is expected to respond to the review report by the end of this month. No changes are expected right away, but she said new guidelines will be in place for teacher education programs in September 2009.
Dalhousie announced this week it will offer the program in conjuction with Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.
A spokesman for Dalhousie has said the university is simply meeting the demand that’s out there, and waited as long as they possibly could for the minister’s response to the review report, but had to plan to start taking applications.